(Week 4 -option 2)

            The Influence and Impact of Humanism on Renaissance Art

The Renaissance marks the victory of individualism and the uncompromising prominence of the individual.  People no longer concentrated all of their thoughts and efforts upon the blessed existence that awaited them in heaven. The style of painting began to change and the standard of beauty was being measured by fundamental and uncompromising representation of individual qualities. 

During the 15^th Century patronage shifted from the church to the merchant class and wealthy patrons of the patrician class.  Humanism was emerging and religious devotion, though still an important part of people’s lives, was being restructured to accommodate the belief that man can be the master to his own fate   Artists were elevated in social standing and their art was looked upon not as simple hobby crafts, but as divinely inspired creations. Classical humanism was a key dynamic of the Italian Renaissance. This philosophical movement was based on the idea that every person’s life had value and dignity. Humanism also stressed man’s position in the natural world.  The Humanists believed modern man should look to the classical writings and art of the ancient Greeks and Romans as a tool or guide for ethical living and scholarship.  New modern innovations and knowledge provoked this particular era into a new way of seeing, doing and living. Paintings of the High Renaissance are extremely radiant and vivid. In contrast to the former preference for beauty of an angelic type, the focus shifted to depicting powerful, energetic, secular beings.  A highly valued synthesis of science, geometry and art, along with the natural world were the core inspirations of this new style of art.  The techniques used by painters of the High Renaissance were quite innovative in themselves. Their use of newly developed oil mediums and incandescent colors created a unique vividness to their paintings.  Italian High Renaissance artists achieved an ideal of harmony and balance comparable with the works of ancient Greece or Rome. Renaissance Classicism was a form of art that showed the world as it was. Forms, colors and proportions, light and shade effects, spatial harmony, composition, perspective, and anatomy were all are handled with total control and a level of accomplishment for which there are no real precedents.

The Mona Lisa was painted between 1503 and 1506 and is Leonardo's most famous piece of work.  It is just as well known for its amazing use of technical innovations as it is for the enigmatic smiling subject.  Da Vinci used a pyramid design by placing the woman in a simple calm space for the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face and hands all glow in the same light. This light source gives the surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles.   He modified this pyramid formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as the element which divides Mona Lisa and the viewer. The woman sits ridigidly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her possible serious and reserved nature.  Her gaze is fixed on the observer which she seems to silently invite to this intimate communication. Due to the brightly lit face being framed with various darker elements (her hair, veil and shadows), the woman appears very alive.  Da Vinci achieved this by using a  new method of not drawing outlines, in the corners of her mouth and eyes for example.  Although I feel that her expression is somewhat androgenous, I can feel her smiling with the gaze of her eyes alone in a flirtatious manner. This style of painting is a perfect example of two techniques, sfumato and chiaroscuro both of which Leonardo became a great master at. The Mona Lisa is simple yet exquisite with details that bring it to life.

           

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Baptism of Christ

Baptism of Christ

(1450)

             I believe that the color(s) within a composition can have a profound affect on a person’s mood.  Due to the cool pastel colors and earth tones I feel that this particular piece is very calming and peaceful.  Balance is also something that I find relaxing, this piece is very well balanced and depicts movement with a sense of being grounded. 

             Piero della Francesca was an Italian artist who was one of the greatest artists of the Early Renaissance period. His paintings are characterized by serene humanism and use of geometric forms, particularly in relation to perspective. Francesca had many things that inspired him however the rounded figures were inspired from Masaccio, and from Domenico he was inspired to use delicate cool colors and scenes drenched in crisp, clear daylight. To these influences he added an innate sense of order and clarity. Within his work there are always large areas light or that of white in his works; the skies are big, light and sunny.

            The Baptism of Christ is an egg tempera painting which was painted upon a piece of poplar wood.  This painting dates to the 1450’s, it was Francesca’s first important commission during this period; originally it was painted for the Chapel of San Giovanni.  Most of Piero's works include altarpieces and church frescoes which were religious in nature.  He always presented scenes of amazing beauty, serene figures fixed in clear, finely detailed space.     

Several things within this particular piece stood out to me; however the most striking is that of the light source.  The light cast from above creates amazing soft colors and shadows, both of which enhance the dimensionality of this piece. Other things that stood out to me were the placement of Christ and the baptism bowl.  They are both placed near center of the painting which suggests their great importance. In the distance, between the tree and Christ, Piero's home town of Sansopolcro can be seen.  Foreshortening is also present within this piece; the dove is a great example of this. I like how the dove is painted to be flying over and looking down at Christ. I also enjoyed how part of the dove is overlapping in front of the foliage on the tree, and then partly in front of the sky.  The overlapping brings the dove up front into the foreground, this gives the illusion that it is hovering over Christ’s head. The horizontal pattern of the clouds integrates the dove nicely into the skyline. The dove is placed within this piece to symbolize the Holy Spirit.  This piece has a sense of great depth, from the rolling hills, to the gradual decrease in size of the trees which fade into the background.   This piece seems to open up as you look at it, from up close and personal to wide open spaces. 

There are several different lines which all point to the center of the piece which is occupied by Christ; for example two of the three angels are looking at Christ. There are several different lines within this piece which depict upright, strong forms. An example of this is Christ’s torso and legs and the tree which he stands next to.  They are the same color and posed in an upright forward position.  Johns left leg is bent toward Christ, and the person standing to the right, just behind John is bent over towards Christ as well.  While standing in a very shallow creek Christ is baptized by John. I really like how the images of the sky and the tree are depicted in the smooth glass like reflection of the creek.

Although this is suppose to be a specific religious event which took place in time, there is something about it that intrigues me in a non religious way. Everything seems to be frozen in time, yet there is movement, because my eye continues to move around the page picking up details it missed from the first glance.  The framing of the painting might have something to do with this; the intentional circular top with the square shaped bottom is quite interesting.  There is so much to take in and look at, yet this piece is very simplistic in the way it presents this historical event.

“Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art” (week 2)

           

        According to the documentary many ideas were valued in the Northern Renaissance period.  Religious themes were the most prevalent in all Renaissance art, as were the mediums of oil paint and sculpture.   Northern Renaissance seemed to adopt a version of the Roman style verism since they preferred highly realistic, individualistic depictions of human faces and figures. Surface realism was highly remarkable within the textures of human flesh and jewels. The depiction of light, shadow and reflection within an art piece were commonly used during this time period as well. Examples of these wonderful techniques can be seen within the Ghent altarpiece, which was done by the famous Jan Van Eyck. When looking at this piece one might find themselves feeling as though they were gazing through a window into another world, a spiritual world at that. I agree with the documentary narrator that it was within pieces like this that the dead seems to live again.

 

      The portrait of Adam within the alter piece really stood out to me. Being a painter myself I know how hard it is to make a portrait actually look life like.  Jan Van Eyck had an amazing gift; the way he made and used pigments was quite revolutionary.  I found it incredibly interesting how he created and used different glazes to create depth and texture, especially within the jewels. I would consider him to be a genius, not only for the time period which he lived and devised such a unique style of art, but because the way that he was able to transfer his imagination and ideas onto canvas with incredible accuracy.  I found it astonishing how with the use of paint the reflection of light within Adams eyes, and the lack there of within Eves eyes in the Ghent altarpiece is something tedious that helps bring dimension and life to the subjects. Jan Van Eyck must have been a very patient artist.  It takes time to be able to layer oil paint in order to masterfully depict reality within paintings.

 During the Renaissance era paintings were extremely expensive, therefore only the wealthy were able to afford such luxurious pieces of art.  Portraiture and the three-quarter view became popular during this time. Portraits were done not only to remember a person but to honor their legacy. Wealthy people were usually the ones who had their portraits done, however as it became more popular; occasionally the common man was able to afford to have it done, depending on the artist who painted it. 

Another thing I found interesting was that gold and jewels were often painted within pieces to make the owner of the piece feel wealthier. A painting which included such luxurious items was the next best thing to actually owning the real gems.

As the culture changed so did the faces and characteristic style of the depicted subjects.  All in all the exquisite attention to detail within Northern Renaissance art is what made it incredible during this time period. The art which was shown in the documentary was simply amazing and very impressive.

*ART 236* Blog #1

   

      The Renaissance period is held in high regard by our culture because it was a time of advancement and change within Europe.  Exploration, travel and trade became important for it expanded peoples knowledge and wealth. New city states emerged during this time, in turn providing a new middle class which had enough money to spend on extravagant art.  Many great writers and artists lived during this time period; Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are two artists that come to mind. During this era many artists and architects used mathematics when producing their art, the Golden Mean is an example of this. Realism was used more often by painters during this time as well. Precise attention to detail was more prominent within art and architecture in regards to proportion, symmetry and perspective. Compared to previous eras the Renaissance period produced extremely talented artists who produced well known masterpieces.  Leonardo da Vinci painted the world famous Mona Lisa and Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican both of which are examples of timeless art.